Fluff and Fun
by Malfoy Mouth James- MMJ
Summary: August Miraculous Ladybug prompts
1. chapter 1: Day Ten

**Okay, so I _know_ it's not August anymore, but I wasn't able to find the prompt calendar until now (and I was in Germany for like, all of August) so I'm going to do the days _now._ Sound good? Nein? Ok, tschüss! **

**If you're _still here,_ yay! Thanks! **

**And without further ado-**

 **Day Ten- 'I Dare You...'**

"Truth or dare?"

Ladybug swung her legs back and forth over the railing. The two superheroes were pearched on one of the higher levels of the Eiffel Tower after their latest patrol. It was chilly, being fall, and the only lights came from the city below and the moon above.

Ladybug hummed. "Dare."

Chat poked his cheek in thought. "I dare you to tell me your favorite color."

Ladybug frowned and looked at him. "That's not how you play."

He shrugged sheepishly. "I've never played before."

Ladybug frowned out at the city, wondering what kind of childhood he'd had, never playing Truth or Dare before. She decided to let this one slide. "It's okay, Chat. My favorite color is pink. Truth or dare?"

He thought again and said, "Truth."

"Okay, Im going to show you how this game goes. When you say 'Truth' I ask you a question and you can't lie. When you say 'Dare,' I say something like 'I Dare you to kiss a pigeon, I don't know." He nodded.

"Ok. So, Truth."

"Hmm." She didn't want to ask something that might accidentally reveal his identity. "Do you like coffee?"

He made a face. "Ew, no."

Ladybug laughed. "Me neither. Your turn."

Chat was quiet for so long she wondered if maybe they had stayed too long, and he fell asleep. But then he broke the silence with,

"I dare you to switch kwamis with me for a week."

She turned to look at him in shock.

"What? I wanted to go big or go home."

"Maybe we should have gone home." Ladybug muttered to herself.

"Fine."

"Woah, really?"

Ladybug scowled at him. "Believe it or not, but I can't turn down a dare. No matter what."

Chat grinned and reached to take off his ring. "No! Wait! I will not have our identities revealed because of some stupid _Dare._ We are going to face different directions. Our kwamis can do the trade."

He pouted and stood up, twirling around dramatically. Ladybug rolled her eyes and did the same. More _modestly._

"Tikki, spots off."

"Plagg, claws in."

Twin flashes of green and pink light and Adrien and Marinette were standing on the deck, respectively.

"Ladybug, are you sure this is a good idea?" Tikki asked worriedly.

Marinette sighed. "Sorry, Tikki. You _know_ how competitive I can get."

Tikki sighed and drooped a bit as Mari reached up and took out her earrings. She paused.

"Wait, Chat."

"Yeah?"

"Are your ears even pierced?"

"... Not yet?"

Marinette groaned. "You're going to _infect_ my miraculous. Ugh. Why."

Adrien laughed as he slid off his ring and handed it to an evilly grinning Plagg.

Marinette slowly handed Tikki her earrings with a disgusted cringe.

And then there was _another_ Kwami floating in front of her, a little black mass of something. Bad luck, from the way Chat Noir always talks about him.

"Awe, you're kind of adorable..."

"Thanks, name's Plagg. Nice to meet you. I like Camembert. Take the ring." With that he thrust the silver ring at her. She took it, careful not to drop it, and spent a few moments trying to figure out which finger it would fit on without falling off. Turns out, even her thumb was a little too small.

"How does this ring even _fit_ you?!" Marinette exclaimed.

Adrien shrugged, even though she couldn't see it.

"I'm Tikki. I'm also _very_ disappointed. In both of you!" The last part she yelled so Marinette could hear, but she only received another resigned sigh in response.

"This is going to hurt."

There was a sharp mewl and Marinette jumped.

"... Chat...?"

"Owwww that really hurt. Your Kwami is mean." He cried, cradling his ear while Tikki moved to the other one. He really hadn't thought this through- his father was going to _kill_ him.

Once both the earrings were in, he saidan experimental "Spots on!" And grinned when his clothes were replaced by red spotted spandex.

"Wicked!"

"Wait, how do I transform again?"

"Claws out!" Plagg and Adrien-Ladybug said together.

"... Plagg, claws out?" Marinette squeaked. She was _really_ not liking this. Not one of her brightest ideas, that's for sure.

She looked down at her hands, now covered in black leather and tipped in sharp claws and groaned. "I changed my mind. Give me back my earrings."

"Nope!" Ladybug chirped, popping the p. "That's not how the game woo-oorks!"

Chat Noir glared and turned to look at her partner. "How would you know?! You've never played before!"

"Well, true. But I'm not taking these earrings out till the end of the week. I'm not going through all of that for nothing."

Chat noir groaned. "Just don't forget to clean your ears three times a day with rubbing alcohol. Or peroxide."

"Don't worry..." a laugh escaped him, " _Chat Noir."_

Chat Noir scowled our at Paris as her partner doubled over in laughter.

Chat Noir landed shakily on her balcony, throwing her arms out to catch herself.

A baton was a _lot_ more difficult to use than it looked. Even harder than her yo-yo had been. She had nearly died taking off from the Eiffel Tower. But of course Chat Noir- er, _Ladybug-_ had to go and be a natural at the yo-yo right off the bat. It just wasn't fair what that boy could do without even trying.

Chat Noir opened her skylight and jumped down onto her bed, meanwhile calling out a soft, "Plagg, claws in!"

She de-transformed as she rolled across her bed, almost hitting the floor on the other side.

Plagg fell onto her comforter. "I need camembeeeeeert." He whined.

Marinette scooped him up in her hands.

"I'm really sorry, but we don't have any Camembert. Would cheddar work for now? I can try to get some Camembert tomorrow. If I have enough in my piggy bank..." she looked off in the general direction of where she had last seen said piggy bank.

She turned back to Plagg and softly rubbed her pointer finger on his forehead.

"My name's Marinette, by the way. But don't you dare tell Chat Noir that! ... Please?"

Plagg merely nodded. He was too busy soaking up her coddles.

"Cheddar will work... for now. But, well, if you don't have enough money for Camembert that's okay too." Plagg sighed. He really loved his Camembert. But apparently Pigtails had better kitten eyes than Adrien did.

"Ok, cool. I'll be right back!" She tucked him into a little cozy corner that must have been Tikki's before dashing off- presumably towards the kitchen.

Plagg hummed. "I like this girl."

 _Meanwhile, at the Agreste Mansion..._

"So... What do _you_ eat?" Adrien asked carefully as he sat on his couch. Tikki was curled up on one of the throw pillows next to him. Plagg's cheese cravings were something to be reckoned with, and he could only hope Ladybug's Kwami had better taste than expensive, stinky cheese.

"Cookies. Chocolate chip, preferably." Adrien let of a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. Urm... You wouldn't happen to know how to make those... would you? I can check the kitchens, but I doubt we'll have any. Model diet and all."

Tikki shook her head. "I miss my charge's chocolate chip cookies." She sighed.

Adrien sunk deeper into the couch. He was a despicable human being. "I'm sorry. It was a bad dare..."

"It's okay, Adrien. Just don't try to figure out who Ladybug is, okay? We can always get cookies from some bakery."

That seemed to brighten his mood. "Oh, I know! We can go to my friend Marinette's bakery! They're the best in Paris!"

Tikki was both happy and worried to hear this. On one hand it would mean she would get to see Marinette more. She already missed her. But on the other, it seemed like a dangerous idea. But she couldn't refuse without setting off alarms, so she agreed.

"That sounds like a good idea. I don't know if I've had their cookies before."

Adrien gasped as if this were some monumental sin. "No way! The Dupain-Chengs make the best sweets in the whole world! It's a crime that Ladybug hasn't been taking you there!"

 _If only he knew..._ Tikki grumbled to herself.

 _And back to the Dupain-Cheng Patisserie..._

"Do you want me to make you a little nest to sleep in? Tikki usually just sleeps on my pillow, or in my hair sometimes. But apparently I move a lot, so that might not be too good an idea."

Plagg looked at the jumbled mess of blankets on Marinette's bed. "I'll just sleep on one of the pillows. Cats don't like nests."

"Oh, alright then, makes sense." Marinette said as she climbed into bed. Once she was situated, she reached over and turned off the light.

"Goodnight, Plagg." She yawned. Plagg settled himself on her pillow, just above her head.

"Yeah, Goodnight."

That was a _bad_ idea. Plagg woke with a start, zipping out of the way as Marinette rolled to her other side. She definitely hadn't been lying. Plagg grumbled as he tried to find a new spot to lay.

This was going to be a long week.

Marinette woke with Plagg tucked under her chin. He was purring slightly, a ticklish yet calming sensation. She _had_ always wanted a cat. Or a hamster.

Now she had one? Kind of.

She groaned and looked at the time. Almost noon. Thank God for Sundays.

Plagg perked up. "You're finally awake? I'm starving. And you sleep late. Like, I'm not reallygoing to complain, because I haven't slept this late since I got my new charge-"

"Stop!" Marinette said urgently. "You can't tell me anything!"

Plagg paused. "You're just like Tikki."

Marinette blinked, then frowned. "I love Tikki."

"Sure, sure, everyone does. But she's a party pooper."

"I'm not a party pooper!"

He put his paws on his hips (do kwamis _have_ hips?) and raised a brow at her. "Oh yeah? Give me one reason you're not."

She thought for a moment before exclaiming, "I stole Adrien Agreste's phone!"

Plagg spluttered and nearly fell out of the air. He started cracking up. "Wait, really? The stupid model kid?"

It was Marinette's turn to splutter as her cheeks burned. "He's _not_ stupid!"

Plagg shrugged. "Sure. If you wanna say that. Anyways," he waved his paw at her, "Why'd you steal his phone?"

Now let's get something straight- Plagg is a troublemaker. Everyone knows this. He was having a _field day_ with this Kwami switch. Especially since Ladybug seemed to be crazy for his charge. If the pictures tacked all over her wall(s) had any indication.

"I-uh- well, you see-!" She stammered.

"Spit it out, Pigtails."

"BecauseIwastryingtocallhimtoaskhimoutbutthenIchangedmymindbutmyfriendAlyahitcallanywaysandthenImadeafoolofmyselfandcalledhimHotStuff. And then I had to delete the recording. So I stole his phone. There, not a party pooper." She said triumphantly, ignoring the raging blush.

Plagg tried to hold in his laughter. Really, he did. But in the end he was curled on the floor, choking around his giggles.

"It's not funny!"

"You're right- it's hilarious. Say, how in love with this kid are you?" Plagg asked, flying back up to be level with Marinette. Well, before she fell off her loft bed.

He chuckled as she groaned and rubbed her back. "W-what? Pffffffffffffffft. I'm not in _love with him._ What are you talking about? Love? _Ew._ Boys? _Cooties."_

"So that's why you have his face plastered all around your room?"

Marinette's jaw dropped, her eyes darting over to the afformentioned incriminating images. "I-I've been m-meaning to take those d-down..."

"Have you?"

Plagg waited for her answer.

"Never." She said stubbornly.

He laughed again. "Ok, Pigtails. I believe you're not a party pooper. Why don't you say we do something fun? My charge never does anything fun." Marinette have him a warning look. "I know, I know- I won't give anything away."

Marinette thought about it for a moment, looking at her clock again. "... Alright. What did you have in mind?"

 _They're off to play some pra-anks, wonderful pranks from Plagg._

"This was a bad idea."

"This is a _great_ idea!"

"How did you even know he would be here now?"

Plagg gave her a _look._ "I saw your pull down chart."

He cackled at her shocked expression. "Not. A. Word." She growled.

"What? I'm going to tell Adrien Agreste that you're in love with him? Not likely." Plagg had a _plan,_ okay?

Marinette sighed and quietly hopped up the stairs to the school. Even though it was a Sunday, the school was open- for fencing practice. It hadn't started yet, but it would soon so Marinette had to be quick.

Plagg's idea of a wonderful prank?

Put pink semi-permanent hair dye in Adrien Agreste's fencing helmet.

So that's how Marinette found herself squeezing the entire contents of a bottle of pink hair dye into a helmet while Plagg kept watch.

"Are you _sure_ this is the right head gear?" Marinette asked for the fifth time.

Plagg sighed. "Lighten up, Pigtails. I'm positive. And even if it wasn't, who cares? It'll still be funny."

"What if he gets in trouble? He'd hate me forever!"

 _Not likely._ Plagg thought evilly with a grin. "Eh, something tells me it'll work out eventually."

Marinette shuddered. " _Eventually._ I hate that word..."

"Quick, someone's coming." Plagg said. Marinette squeaked and grabbed Plagg, dashing into the bathroom.

"Plagg, claws out!" She whisper-yelled, transforming into Chat Noir and throwing herself out the window as she heard the door to the locker room open.

"That was close." She sighed, pole vaulting across the street and landing on her balcony. She checked for any watchful eyes before dropping down onto her bed and detransforming.

 _Pink Adrien, one of the many origins stories..._

Adrien walked into the locker room and to his locker, opening it up and grabbing out his bag. Maybe if he hadn't been so preoccupied with the Kwami he was talking to, he would have noticed the awful smell in his head gear before he slid it on.

"Yuck! What the-" Adrien carefully pulled the helmet back off, peering in distastfully at the pink goo.

"Oh no." Tikki said.

"What? What is it?" Adrien panicked. "Is it bad? Is it going to burn my hair off? My _skin?_ Tikki, _am I going to die?!"_

"You're going to dye alright..." Tikki sighed, putting a paw to her forehead. She had a feeling she knew exactly who had planned this, and exactly who had done it.

"What?!" Adrien shrieked.

"I meant dye, like d-y-e. That's hair dye, I think. Probably pink."

"... So you're saying I'm going to dye and I'm going to die because my father will _kill me."_

"... Sure." Tikki wasn't all that worried, he _did_ have her luck now, but she was going to let the boy go through his meltdown.

"Oh, this, this is a _cat_ astrophe." Adrien mused.

"You're puns _are_ bad."

"No, they're _purr_ fect. Wait, I need ladybug themed puns now, though. 'Everyone's going to go _bug_ gy for this new look.' No, that's not right. 'Too bad this isn't a computer, I'm great at de- _bug_ ging those.' There! That's the one."

"I hate puns."

"Is that why Ladybug hates puns?"

"She doesn't hate puns- i mEAN-"

"Whaaaaaaaaa?! So... she's been lying to me all this time? What a... _Chat."_

No. stop. Why do all of the Chat Noirs love puns? Why me?"

"You can't have all the luck, Tikki. Now let's go wash this stuff out."

 _In Mme Bustier's class on Monday..._

"Hey, Adrien- woah, dude. Buddy. Whatcha... whatcha doing? What's going on with your hair?" Nino said, looking oddly at his friend as he stalked to his seat.

"I accidentally dyed my hair pink. No worries, it's not permanent." Adrien sighed.

He heard a laugh behind him and turned in time to see Alya elbow a pink Marinette. Not pink in the way he was pink, but pink in the way she was all the time.

"I-it looks r-r-really g-good in y-you, Adrien. I-I mean, you look ho-err, uh! You l-look, you look..." she trailed off with a splutter, her head hitting the table with a loud _smack._

Oh my goodness, Marinette, are you okay?" Adrien asked.

She nodded into the table silently. With a concerned frown, Adrien slowly turned back towards Nino. His friend shrugged.

 _Unsurprisingly, Hawkmoth akumatized someone..._

"Hey Ladyb-" Chat Noir said as she turned towards her partner. She stopped, mouth still open and cocked her head to the side. "What'd you do to your hair?"

Ladybug tended at first, seemingly irritated, before shooting her a cocky grin. "I thought I'd look good in pink. What do you think?"

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down. "I think it clashes with the red. You want your suit back?"

Ladybug shook his head. "Week's not over yet, Chat Noir."

Chat Noir groaned and followed Ladybug to the akuma.

It wasn't a very difficult akuma. Some teen had gotten angry at their mother and decided to freeze all the women of Paris into stone statues. But considering Ladybug was a guy and Chat Noir was a teenage girl like her, she left them alone.

Even though we all know Hawkmoth was being a whiny baby and yelling at her the whole time.

Ladybug called the Lucky Charm only so they could reverse the damage, and then plucked the girls cellphone from her hand as she dramatically pointed it at someone. He tossed it to Chat Noir who used her cataclysm for the first time, and pulled out his yo-yo.

This is where things got difficult.

Ladybug, having never had to capture or purify an akuma as of yet, poked angrily at the yo-yo.

"Ladybug! Quick, purify the akuma!"

"How do you open this thing?!" He yelled as he aggressively jabbed at the yo-yo.

"It's flying away...!"

" _Halp!"_

"Ladybug, you _swipe_ your finger _up!"_ Chat yelled.

" _Ohhh."_ He did as the original Ladybug told him to and the yo-yo flipped open.

Chat Noir face palmed in the background as Ladybug almost managed to purify _himself._

 _Let's give the poor beans a break._

 _Friday at school..._

Marinette groaned as she walked into class behind Alya. It had been a _long_ week. She couldn't tell you most of what happened because everytime she thought about another wreck of an akuma attack or botched patrol she would shudder and forget what the conversation was about.

She sat down in her desk and put her forehead on top of her hands, groaning again.

Alya laughed and patted her shoulder. "You sure you're alright, Girl?"

Marinette just groaned again.

Adrien and Nino walked in soon after and took their seats. Adrien's hair was back to its original lemon gold color (after a _lot_ of aggressive scrubbing with expensive shampoo).

"Hey Guys- Maribro?" Nino said with concern. "You okay, dude?"

Marinette feebly nodded into the table, too tired to even give another groan.

She fell asleep at some point. Alya nudged her awake when the bell rang but once she sat down again in her next class, her head hit the table and she was out again.

Halfway through the class, she was finally starting to come back to life. Her right arm slipped off the table, and with that the extra lose miraculous ring slipped right off her thumb.

 _Now_ she was awake.

Marinette gasped and shot up, nearly tumbling straight off the chair as she dived to catch the ring. Adrien turned at the small commotion behind him, and instinctively reached down to grab whatever it was that Marinette had dropped.

They reached for the ring at the same time, colliding their heads together. Adrien hissed in pain as Marinette fell on her butt, rubbing her forehead.

" _Ow._ I-I'm sorry, A-A-Adrien! It's this _stupid ring!"_ She grumbled. "It doesn't fit right and the gosh darned thing keeps falling off and-" Adrien stopped listening as he looked at said ring he had scooped up before it could keep falling down the stairs. His eyes widened and his jaw went slack. He didn't even notice the teacher scolding them for causing a commotion, because the ring he had just picked up-

"This is _mine!"_ He whisper-yelled to himself in shock.

"W-what?!" Marinette squeaked. Adrien looked back at Marinette who was still sitting where she had fallen with a hand on her red forehead and the other keeping her upright.

"Ladybug?"

Marinette passed out.

 **There! Finally done! Not going to even say how long that took to finish, ehe...**


	2. Chapter 2: Day Eleven

**Day Eleven, first kiss.**

 **Hope it turned out as good as I thought it would!**

 **Spiderman au, there is no Chat Noir, only Ladybug, Hawkmoth, and one love struck Adrien Agreste.**

Adrien was your normal teenage student. He had friends, homework, liked to play video games, tried his best to make his father proud, and thought super heroes were awesome- especially Ladybug.

Like almost every other teenage boy in Paris- and maybe the whole of Europe- had a massive crush on the super heroine.

If you asked him about it, he'd likely even tell you he was in love with that girl; whoever she was.

And he was hell-bent on finding out. He joined Alya on her chases across the city whenever there was an Akuma, an evil villain puppet of the mastermind Hawkmoth- Ladybug's arch nemesis.

Because of these... Jaunts across the city, Adrien found himself dead center of the fight more often than not. Sure Alya was a fan, too, but she wasn't in love with Ladybug like he was. She wasn't going to put her life _that much_ on the line for a good video.

But Adrien would.

Especially since Ladybug always saved him.

Just last week she had scooped him up seconds before the ground below him cracked and disintegrated from the akuma's poison. She had landed softly on a rooftop halfway across town and asked him to kindly stop throwing himself in the fray. Apparently, it was distracting.

Adrien beamed at the fact that Ladybug could be distracted by someone like him, before realizing this could also be dangerous for her.

So he promised to try not to get so close next time, and she had been about to argue when there was another explosion somewhere off in the distance. She had sighed and unlatched her yo-yo from her hip, shooting a, "Later, Handsome Boy," over her shoulder before disappearing.

Let's just say it took a while for Adrien's brain to reboot enough for him to figure out how to get off the roof.

And that's how he found himself here- once again chasing after an Akuma with Alya at his side.

 _The Stitcher,_ it called itself. It was clad head to toe in dark, ragged cloth and wielded a long, sharp needle as a staff. From the other hand came an unending supply of dark red yarn which the akuma used to wrap people up before stitching their mouths shut.

Adrien had a few close calls before Alya said maybe they should hold up somewhere near the fight where they wouldn't be seen. Adrien watched her scale a tree and get herself situated while still video taping the fight.

"Are you coming?" She called down to him.

Adrien shot her an apologetic smile before taking off after The Stitcher. Where the Akuma was, Ladybug was sure to be.

He hadn't _meant_ to get in the middle of it again, _honest._

But some things just can't be avoided.

Before he even realized that he had gotten too close, he was being tightly wrapped in red yarn.

"Lucky Charm!" He barely heard Ladybug yell as the Akuma stalked towards him, a wicked smile spread across its black smeared face as it raised the needle towards him.

But before it could do any harm, the red yarn fell to the ground and Adrien was once again scooped up from the street.

Ladybug deposited him on another roof top with a pissed off scowl before telling him, in no uncertain terms, that if he got in the way again she would let the Akuma have its way with him- of only to teach him a lesson.

Adrien gulped and chocked out a, "Wait!" As Ladybug took off again towards the Akuma.

Now he felt _really_ bad. But that didn't mean he still didn't want to actually talk to Ladybug.

So he climbed down from the roof as soon as he saw the pink Ladybug cleansing swarm pass over the city and started his search for her.

A few streets in and it started to rain. And true to his luck, the sprinkle soon turned to a pouring mess.

"You have a knack for getting into trouble." Said a feminine voice from behind him. Adrien gasped and spun around, smiling brightly as he saw Ladybug. She was hanging upside down from her yo-yo, a disapproving frown on her beautiful face. Her dark blue pigtails and bangs hung down awkwardly, but Adrien thought she had never looked more beautiful than she did right then, frowning at him in the middle of a rainstorm.

Adrien laughed. "You have a knack for saving my life."

Ladybug's frown deepened. "Only because it seems I've got a stalker who can't keep himself out of a single Akuma fight."

Adrien sighed. "You're amazing."

He was delighted in the blush that spread across her freckled cheeks, and wished she wasn't wearing her mask so he could see more of it.

Ladybug's frown finally fell, but her face still held a sad, wistful look to it. "Some people don't think so."

Adrien thought she had meant as Ladybug, but what he didn't know was that she was talking about her alter ego. Stupid, klutzy, mess of a dork Marinette Dupain-Cheng. "But you are!" He insisted. "You always save the day! You're so brave and kind."

"It's nice to have a fan." She said, a small smile finally appearing. Adrien's heart flipped and he scrambled to make the smile bigger.

"Do I get to say thank you this time?" He asked giddily. He didn't know what could possible convey his thanks or love for her, but he had an idea for a way to start.

His want to know who she was had his hands unconsciously reaching out for her mask.

"Wait..." she said. Adrien's face fell a smidge but he didn't let her need for anonymity deter him. Instead he placed his hands on either side of her face and leaned forward. He prayed that she wouldn't stop him, not yet, as he kissed her.

Adrien nearly chocked in happy surprise when Ladybug not only kissed him back, but kissed him back _enthusiastically._ Ladybug's mouth trapped his, her lips soft and warm and- oddly sweet. Like vanilla and whipped cream. Adrien sighed into the kiss before Ladybug, seemingly unwillingly, pulled back.

Adrien was sure he looked like a love struck idiot as he smiled stunningly at her and nuzzled her chin with his nose. Ladybug giggled- actually _giggled!-_ so he did it again before pressing a kiss to the same spot.

When he pulled back he was happy to see that her whole face was a deeper red than her mask and her smile possibly bigger than his own. This was it. He was going to tell her he loved her.

But before he could even open his mouth, Ladybug had shot up over the wall and disappeared.

Adrien wasn't stupid, he knew that he had no idea who she was and knew he likely didn't know the girl in the other side of the mask. But he also knew that not only was he madly in love with _her,_ but that Ladybug loved him back.

And he was going to prove it.


	3. Chapter 3: Day Fifteen

**Day 15: Bubblebath**

 **Aquamarine AU**

This one is an Aquamarine AU (great mermaid movie, a should watch). Marinette is a stranded mermaid trying to prove true love is real, Chloe and Alya are her human accomplices trying to get Adrien Agreste to fall for their finned friend.

Here we go-

The water splashed against the walls of the tub, expelling some of the bubbles. They tracked their way to freedom quickly before pooling into a mess on the floor.

"I don't need Adrien. Stupid Adrien. I have two new men to love- Ben, and Jerry." Marinette said as she took another bite from the tub of Ben and Jerry's chocolate ice cream. Her pink tail flicked happily as she relaxed. Chloe laughed and reached over with her own spoon to take a scoop. She hummed and wiggled her eyebrows, causing the girls to dissolve into giggles.

Marinette reached for the salt and poured more into the ice cream tub and took another bite, humming in appreciation as she slipped deeper in the bubbles.

"Who needs boys?" Chloe asked with a huff. "All you need is friends."

"And ice cream." Marinette reminded, brandishing her spoon.

"And boys." Chloe sighed. Marinette raised an eyebrow.

"No. Ice cream."

The blonde shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "Right. Ice cream, not boys."

Just then the two heard voices- one of them clearly Alya's and the other distinctly male- accompanied by approaching footsteps. Marinette and Chloe shared a wide-eyed look of panic before Chloe dived into the tub as the handle of the door turned.

She flung her legs over the edge of the tub, crossed them, and hid the rest of her body under the bubbles just as the door opened and Alya and Adrien stood there. Adrien's face went bright pink as soon as he took in the scene, and Alya's look of surprise shifted to a happy smirk.

"Oh- Er, I-I'm sorry…" Adrien stuttered, trying not to look at Marinette.

The bluenette mermaid sank down in the water until all she was was a floating head (paired with Chloe's legs) and blushed pinker than her tail that she was desperately trying to hide.

"Heh. Sorry, Mari. I didn't realize you were in the tub. We'll wait in the other room." Alya said slyly before grabbing Adrien's arm and dragging him from the bathroom with a terrifying plotting look.

As soon as the door closed, Chloe burst up from under the water, taking a huge breath as bubbles slid down her face. She coughed before looking at Marinette.

"That was close."

"Very."


	4. Chapter 4: Day Fourteen

**Day fourteen: Take My Hand**

 **Enimies AU:**

For as long as Ladybug had been around, so had Hawkmoth and Chat Noir. It was why she was here. Marinette could still remember the day when she had helped the old man cross the road who had then gifted her with the Ladybug Miraculous- and the task of keeping Paris safe from the two supervillians who had recently rose up.

It was hard work, fighting two against one. Especially because sometimes the akuma victims could be particularly strong and dangerous. Tikki had told her once that it was this hard because she wasn't supposed to be going up against two people; it was supposed to be the other way. Chat Noir was supposed to be her partner, not Hawkmoth's.

But that was okay, because Marinette was strong and she loved her city. It was why she was chosen.

Now thinking about it, however, she really wished for a partner.

The akuma of the day was especially dangerous today. Called Sailor Revenge, she was running around in a short, dark purple skirt and sailor shirt, turning everything into confetti. Ladybug had almost been hit three times already, and she was getting tired. Not only did she have to watch out for the akuma, who seemed to be able to pop up wherever she wanted out of thin air, but also for Chat Noir who was being sneakier than normal. At this moment she was trying to run away from the villain, but he was gaining speed and closing the distance. Every step she took flared pain up in her knee from a savage drop she had taken not too long ago to avoid turning into shredded scraps.

"Give me your miraculous!" Chat Noir and the akuma yelled together as Sailor Revenge appeared ahead of Ladybug. The spotted heroine gritted her teeth as she tried to figure out what to do. She could see the akumatized object, the wand in the girls hand topped with a crescent moon, and took a shot for it with her yo-yo. She had reached the end of the roof she was currently on, and jumped for the next one. Unfortunately, Sailor Revenge had seen this coming and aimed her wand or whatever it was at the building. A blast of sparkly colors hit it, and it started to shred away from the bottom up.

Ladybug shrieked, retracting her yo-yo to try and catch it on something else before she hit the ground. But it missed completely, turning slack in mid-air as she careened towards the pavement. Her hands scrambled for purchase on the building she had jumped off of, and finally caught on a window sill. She cringed at the painful tear in her shoulders from the sudden stop, and cursed as her fingers started to slip already.

"Ladybug!" She gasped in pain and surprise, looking up to see Chat Noir's worried face pop over the edge of the roof. "Ladybug, take my hand!"

She stared up at him with wide eyes, squeaking when her fingers slipped farther. He reached down with his hand as far as he could reach. "Hurry!"

She had to make a split second decision. Her fingers were slipping, her yo-yo still needed to reset and that would take longer than it would for her to hit the ground. Should she trust him? Was he only trying to help her to only take her miraculous?

She let go and reached for his hand, trying to pull herself up by the window sill as close as she could get. She grunted as her shoulder pulled again, she was pretty sure it was dislocated. The suit helped a lot, but not always enough.

Her red fingers just brushed his as her other hand finally lost it's hold completely, and she fell.

The scream that ripped from her throat was cut off as a hand wrapped around her wrist. She gasped and whipped her head up to look at the black clad boy whose face was ashen with fear.

Ladybug couldn't help but gape as Chat Noir worked to haul her up onto the roof with him. Once she was finally up to the edge, he grabbed her under her arms and pulled her close. He walked back from the edge and dropped to his knees, keeping her tightly pressed under his chin. She could feel his erratic heartbeat against her cheek as he tried to calm his breathing again.

"Chat?" She said cautiously. He 'hmphed' irritatedly, but she could detect the undertone of fear still there. Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his waist- his very thin waist, goodness, why was he so thin?- and hugged him back.

"It's okay," she said, "it's okay."

He was silent for a while before replying. The akuma had been turned around and sent to find revenge somewhere else for the time being until Hawkmoth's son got his crap together and got out of the way. "You almost died." He whispered. His voice was so low and scratchy that she almost missed it.

"But I didn't. I'm alright." Ladybug paused. "Thank you, Chat." And then he was crying, and holding her tight, and babbling.

"I'm so sorry. So sorry. I- I can't believe everything I've done. Plagg, he told me, he tried to get me to stop, and I didn't, and you almost died-"

"Chat, Chat Noir!" She said firmly, pulling away and lightly smacking his face. He shut up and looked at her with wide eyes, his arms still held out from holding her. "Shut up. I can't even understand what you're saying. Yes, you messed up. Yes, I could have died. But I didn't. So," Ladybug stood up, brushing off her suit before holding out her hand, "Are you going to help me catch this akuma?"

He looked between her and her hand. She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Just take my hand, you silly kitty."


	5. Chapter 5: Day Eighteen

**Day eighteen: A Special Gift**

"Happy birthday!" Marinette cried as soon as she opened the roof window. Chat smiled and came in when she dropped back down out of the way.

"Thanks."

"I made macaroons!" She said, excitedly bouncing around her room to go grab the plate of brightly coloured cookies. She whirled back around and presented them to him with a bright smile. "Happy birthday!" She said again.

He laughed awkwardly, still not used to having people celebrate. Sure, Nino tried to get a party for him that first year, but from then on out he had been too skittish to do anything more than give him a present and wish him a happy birthday. "You already said that."

"And I'll say it again; Happy birthday!"

Chat couldn't help his growing smile, or the growing blush at the attention, as he happily grabbed the plate of macaroons. "Ok, fine, yeah. Thanks, Mari."

She clasped her hands behind her back and looked at him excitedly, her tight-lipped smile almost stretched entirely across her face. He looked at her cautiously.

"...What?"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

He groaned. "Mari!"

"What? Am I not allowed to say happy birthday to my favorite superhero?"

"Well, you are, but… Just once. Please."

She sighed. "Fine, you whiny stray." And then she was skipping off to her desk again, grabbing out a box from under her desk. "But you still get a present!"

His ears pricked up at that. He had seen the infamous Marinette birthday presents- always amazing works she had put a lot of time and love into. He was excited now, because for some reason in the last two years, he hadn't gotten one as Adrien. He marked it down to the fact that she must not like him much, for whatever reason. Which was sad, because she was a really awesome girl.

In fact, if he hadn't met Ladybug first, he might have even crushed on Ma-

"Thanks!" He said quickly, taking the box from her and pushing his traitorous thoughts away.

He popped the top open, after setting the cookies down on the chaise beside him, and smiled happily. Inside lay a beautifully made set of green hat and scarf. It matched the green color of the paw print on his ring and baton perfectly, and he was surprised at the amount of detail in it.

"Wow, Mari! These are… These are amazing! Thank you!"

"Wait, there's more!" She said, pointing at the box.

He furrowed his brows at her and suspiciously picked up the knitted pieces to reveal a small book. That seemed to be hand made, too. The cover had a really cute drawing of Marinette and Chat high fiving and said 'Best Friend Coupons.'

"What are 'best friend coupons'?" He asked.

"Well, open it!" She said, starting to get irritated with how slow he was being about it all. She was nerely vibrating with excitement.

So he opened it and flipped through a few of the pages. Apparently, 'best friend coupons' was another way to say 'free pass for favors.'

"But, we already do all of this stuff anyways." He said, flipping past one that had something to do with video games.

"Yeah, but it's still fun! And then you can choose what to do for the day! Also, there's some like, 'Free macaroons.' 'Shoulder massage.' That one would be a good one to keep for after bad akuma attacks." She pointed out.

"Oh. Cool." He flipped another page, and then snickered.

"What?" Marinette asked, frowning. "Are you making fun of my present?"

"'Free scritches'?" He asked, snikering again.

Marinette blushed a bit. "Hey! Don't laugh at me! I thought it was a great present idea!" She said angrily, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air.

"It is a great present! I was laughing because… Uh…" Chat scrambled for something to say to ease Marinette's irritation. "You know me so well?"

That seemed to work; Marinette turned back to him with a big smile. "I know."

"So I can use these whenever?" He asked. Marinette nodded and grinned. "Can I use one now?"

She placed a finger on her chin in mock thought. "Well, I don't see why not. Now would be whenever."

He pulled one out from the book and thrust it at her with his signature shit-eating grin.

She rolled her eyes and took it from him. "Wow. I would have never guessed." Grinning herself, she used her foot to get him to slide down the chaise so she could sit next to him before patting her lap. His grin turned from playful to happy as he rolled over on his back and plopped his head on her thighs.

He looked up at her with his hands up by his chin and said, "Nya!"

She laughed heartily before swatting his shoulder. "You're insufferable." She said. Her fingers started working through his hair and scratching behind his cat ears. He closed his eyes happily, a slight purr kickstarting in his chest.

"But you suffer anyways because you looooove me." He sang.

"In your dreams, Birthday boy." She said, humming the tune to happy birthday.

 **Wow three in one day?! What is this? Who is this? Where is this? What is going on?**


	6. Chapter 6: Day Twenty-Six

Day 26- Please? Bridgette and Felix

"Please. Leave me alone, please!"

Felix was this close to a restraining order. This close. He swore, if Bridgette didn't leave in the next five seconds, he was going to call his bodyguard and have her forcibly removed from the lunch yard.

"It's just one movie!" She begged, practically running to keep up with his long strides. She held two movie tickets in her hands, a large and hopeful smile stretched across her face.

He stopped abruptly, causing her to bump into him. Whirling around, he gritted out, "No. I will not go out with you, I won't go out with you tomorrow, or the next day, or ever."

She stared up at him with wide, shocked eyes, her mouth hanging slightly open.

"But-"

"No."

"What about-"

"Never."

"Why not?" She whined. She didn't wanna let it show, but damn his rejection hurt.

"Because you're annoying, you're loud, you're stupid, and I don't like you."

She frowned, making a 'hmph' sound.

He turned away to keep walking, expecting her to run off and cry somewhere, not to continue following him.

"Just one movie! Please?"

"Unable to take it anymore, he whirled around and grabbed her by the shoulders. "FINE. You get one date- IF," he paused, taking a calming breath before he throttled her, "If, you can leave me alone for a whole. Month. No talking to me, no following me, no bothering me, no looking at me. Understand?"

She smiled wide at him, nearly vibrating with excitement. "Okay!"

"Act like I don't exist."

"Deal!"

"For a month!"

"You got it!"

"You are not to approach me!"

"Approach who?" She asked, shimmying out of his grasp and skipping away.

Breathing out a deep sigh of relief, he carried on.

Miraculous

He hated to say it, but damn, she was good.

It had already been three days and there had been no interactions, whatsoever. No 'Hello, Felix!'s in the hallways, no surprise attack hugs in class, no badgering with movie tickets or declarations of love at lunch. Nothing. When she passed him in the hallway, her eyes didn't even flicker towards him. It was as if he really didn't exist.

It was amazing.

It was less amazing when the teacher assigned group work, and she responded to being paired with him with,

"Who's Felix?" That had certainly made the entire room cackle. But he didn't really care, because she was still leaving him alone. For once in his life, someone was actually listening.

His weekend went smoothly and was absolutely refreshing. There were no love notes from her in the mail, no knocks at his door, no cookies to throw away- nothing.

So why did he feel so funny come Monday morning? He got out of the limo slowly, feeling a sense of trepidation as he entered the school. But nothing happened.

Maybe he was scared she wouldn't be able to last longer than a week, and would come running back with her crazy re-doubled. But she didn't. She really was good at this.

It was almost scary- how quickly she could go from near-stalker to non-existent in a minute. She should really get that checked out. So he told himself to enjoy it while it lasted, and ignore the fact that if she held out he would have to go on a date with her.

Felix quickly started to realize it might not be Bridgette who couldn't last a month.

Without her ever-constant stream of attention, Felix talked to absolutely no one. Teachers rarely called on him in class because it was always such a damper on the room's morale, and he had no friends whatsoever. That was the way he had wanted it, but now he was starting to feel a little…

Lonely.

He missed the hello's every time she saw him, no matter how little he wanted to admit that.

It only got worse as the week went on. By Friday, he was feeling absolutely irritable with the lack of attention she was giving him. Goodness, did he have to tell her to act like he didn't exist?

He wasn't going to make it.

Right now he would gladly take Stalker-Bridgette over Silent-Treatment-Bridgette. He couldn't wait for the month to be over. But he would never tell Bridgette that.

His thoughts changed on the start of the third week. His weekend had been absolute shit. He hadn't been able to focus at all, and got barely any sleep. His lack of poise was noticeable to everyone. When he saw Bridgette walking up the steps to the school, he had to fight the urge to fall at her feet and beg for forgiveness. But he didn't know how much longer he would be able to fight that urge. He wanted to keep face; he couldn't let her know how much this was actually affecting him. He could last another two weeks, he knew it.

He did not know it. By the end of class on Tuesday, he was resembling a pissed off zombie more and more with every passing bridgette-less moment. He dragged through Wednesday, looking like the definition of depressed teenager. Thursday he made the biggest fuss he could possibly manage- without someone informing his father- and she still didn't acknowledge him. Friday he ignored everything going on, not even bothering with the world anymore. Had she really been that fickle that she would cut off all forms of contact with him for a date? Did she really not like him for anything else than his face or status?

His weekend was full of plotting. Screw the deal- come Monday morning he didn't care how weak he had to look, he was going to get her attention back. He hated to say it, mostly because he was afraid of what it meant, but he missed Bridgette Cheng. He missed her extravagant ways of always showing up wherever he was to flirt or ask him out. He missed her voice and face, and even that really annoying giggle thing she did. He didn't care anymore why she had wanted to go out with him- reputation or not, he wanted her to want him again. And he didn't care how it sounded to anyone else, because dammit, he was going to go out on a date with Bridgette Cheng-

And that was a lot harder than it sounded.

He had never been on a date before, didn't even know how they worked. And more than that, how did he ask her out without her laughing in his face and walking away? So he asked Nathalie. Yes, he asked his father's assistant for girl help. The strangest part was that she gladly gave him everything she knew.

So that's how he ended up on the steps to the school that third Monday with a single pink rose in one hand and a tremor in the other.

When Bridgette showed up, she was walking with Allegra. They were laughing about something, and the bright smile on her round, freckled face pulled at his heart. He had spent so long trying to get rid of her that he had missed her entirely.

She didn't look at him this time, either. She was still going strong. Way stronger than he was. So he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and stepped in front of her. She tried to side-step around him, but he reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"Bridgette."

She stopped and shot a conflicted look at Allegra who did a twitchy-shrug-point gesture towards Felix. The bluenette turned to look at him at her friend's prompting, and he was shocked by just how blue her eyes were. His throat tightened up, so he cleared it before continuing.

"Could I speak with you?"

She pursed her lips. "But, I thought-" He raised an eyebrow at her and she stopped talking, nodding and following him back down the stairs. She waved to Allegra who crept up the stairs, her calculating eyes never leaving them. He was pretty sure she wasn't actually going to leave, but it didn't really matter.

"What's up?" Bridgette chirped. He turned his eyes back to her. This was going to be the hard part.

Felix thrust the rose out to her, which she looked at in shock.

"Felix-?"

"Just take it." He grumbled, looking away to try and hide the forming blush. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bridgette's look of shock turn into a smile as she slowly reached out and took the pink rose from him.

"Is that all?" She prompted.

Damn, she's too good. He took a deep breath. "WellIwasthinking,maybewecould-youknow,gouhm*cough*seeamovieorsomething?" He cleared his throat. Even from here he could hear Allegra's gasp as she dropped her bag and stared at them, open mouthed.

Felix looked back at her as she blinked. Once. Twice. Her slanted eyes were wide and glued on him. With every passing second that she didn't answer he worried that he had made the wrong choice, that maybe he couldn't deal if she had only wanted one date with him to help her popularity. But he couldn't imagine giggly, optimistic Bridgette doing something like that.

"...Please?"

Felix didn't know what he had expected. Maybe a 'no', or a 'sure.' If he was being hopeful, a happy 'yes!' If he was being honest, he almost expected her to laugh at him.

What he had not expected was for her to shriek and throw herself on him, giggling excitedly as she tried to squeeze the life out of him.

"Oh, I'd thought you'd never ask! And to think, all I had to do was leave you alone for three weeks! I didn't even have to go the whole month, and thank God for that, because it was like torture! I've missed your grumpy hellos, you know! How have you been? You always look so lonely and I wasn't even allowed to look at you!" She babbled.

"Uh…"

"I know you thought I was annoying, but no one ever said hello to you, well I guess lots of people asked for signatures, but I'm sure that gets old, right? I thought maybe you could use someone to talk to." She smiled big up at him, and his heart skipped a beat.

He cleared his throat again, trying to cough up some words. "C-Cool. Uhm, yeah. Me too."

Nailed it, oh yeah. Look at him go.

She giggled again and he worried his nose would start bleeding with the next punch. How had he not noticed any of this before? Looping her arm through his, she led him towards the school. Still trying to gather his wits back from the ground, he missed most of what she was saying, but she didn't seem to care.

Felix learned something new that month- that 'please' was most definitely the magic word.


	7. Chapter 7: Day Twelve

Day 12 it was an accident!

"You bought a Chinese bride?!"

Adrien sunk lower in his seat, not meeting Alya's shocked glare. "It was an accident!" He squeaked pitifully.

"Bro, how do you 'accidentally,'" Nino drawled, using air quotations, "buy a Chinese bride?"

Adrien threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know! I didn't even know I did until I got an update email this morning!"

"They send update emails for buying a bride?!" Alya nearly shrieked indignantly.

"Rich people." Nino said, shaking his head and crossing his arms. This comment earned him a whack on the head from his girlfriend. "Ow, hey!"

"This is serious! Adrien accidentally bought a girl! From China!" Turning back to the blonde, she fumed, "How are you going to fix it this time, Agreste?"

With wide eyes he replied, "Uhh, I'm not?"

"What?!" Both his friends cried. Some customers around them in the small, classy café turned to give them flares before going back to their own conversations. "What do you mean, 'I'm not'?!" Alya seethed.

"I can't!" Adrien cried. "You don't understand- I fucked up, I fucked up bad! There's no going back! You can't just, buy a Chinese bride and then cancel the order! Believe me, I've been trying all morning!"

"This is complete shit, Agreste, and you know it! You better treat that poor girl like a queen!"

With a cringe and a nod, Adrien slid further down in his seat, not even attempting to eat the food in front of him.

Miraculous

It was the 16th of November.

It had been two weeks since Adrien had told his friends he had accidentally bought a Chinese bride.

For the past two weeks, Alya and Nino had helped him clean the house, put it in order, and set up the best damn room a girl could dream of. He had accidentally bought a living girl, and by golly if he wasn't going to do everything in his power to make up for it, God help him.

And if he fucked up, he really would need God's help to save him from Alya's wrath.

Alya's wrath which he has waded through every since That Day. He had begged the reporter for the past week, begged her, to come to the station with him to pick up the girl he had accidentally bought.

But she refused.

So he found himself, on November 16th, in the cold and rain, at the train station waiting for a girl he had bought online.

Thank God his father didn't know. Yet. Gabriel Agreste had a terrifying way of finding out everything, and Adrien was dreading the day he dug up the dirty truth of what his son had done.

The brakes of the train shrieked as it pulled to a stop at the station, and he felt his stomach drop farther into his feet than it had been since he had woke up that morning. He hadn't been able to eat breakfast.

The email had, actually, been very helpful- including things like her hair colour, eye colour, and height would help him immensely in finding this girl. And she spoke French.

Thank God.

When the doors slid open and people started to poor out, Adrien had feared he might actually throw up.

And then a flash of blue in the middle of the crowd caught his eye, and his heart puttered to a stop.

She was small- really small. Adrien hadn't realized just how short 5'2" was when it was written out on an email, but now that he was face to face with it, he couldn't help but want to wrap her up and hide her away from the scary world.

Blue hair? Check. Short? Check. Blue eyes? He just needed her to look this way-

Shit.

Check.

She had the bluest eyes Adrien had ever seen. In fact, he wouldn't even classify that colour in the blue category they were so unique.

Too soon her eyes passed by him, scanning the crowd. And as Adrien's brain sputtered back to life, he realized three things:

One- This was the girl that he had accidentally ordered online.

Two- She was by no means a 'girl' as they had all been referring her as for the past two weeks. No, she could be described as nothing other than a strong, beautiful woman.

And three- He was screwed.

He slowly made his way through the crowd, noticing that she was holding a manilla folder of papers and a sigh that read 'Adrien Agreste.' Ohh, the tabloids were definitely not going to miss that.

Too infatuated to care at the moment, he came up behind her and cleared his throat, hoping his voice would come out steady.

"M-Marin-ette Dup-pain-C-Cheng?"

Nailed it.

She whirled around with a tiny- adorable!- gasp, and her bluer-than-blue eyes met with his for the second time as he prayed to anyone who would listen that there would be a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a-

Shit, what did she say?

"I-I'm sorry… what?" He asked, blinking slowly. She frowned worriedly at him.

"Are you Adrien Agreste?" She asked. There was a slight blush dusting her cheeks, and her voice was slightly accented which was to be expected, but- holy shit were those tiny freckles on her nose, he was so screwed.

Alya might as well kill him now; get it over with.

He coughed, trying not to ruin this first impression (let's be real, it was too late for that), and found it in him to squeak out a response. "YeshellohiI'mAdrienIt'snicetomeetyouhiuhhyou'rereallyprettyI'manidiotsorry."

He was on a roll.

She blinked at him with her large, almond shaped eyes. Once. Twice. Thrice for good measure. And then it happened.

And Adrien's world exploded.

She smiled at him. The biggest, brightest, most beautiful smile he had ever received, and let me tell you, he had gotten a lot of smiles.

Her smile was slightly crooked, her soft pink lips pulling up higher on the left side, crinkling her nose and consequently her freckles. Her already stunning eyes gained an extra dose of sparkle as she smiled at him like the sun would a newborn babe.

"Wow." Adrien reeled to fix his slip up. "I-I mean-! Uh, well, you know- I-! Youhaveareallyprettysmile."

Oh this girl was a goner with how smooth he was being today. Suave Man Extraordinaire.

If he had thought that nothing could break apart his world more than her smile, he would have been gravely mistaken. Because she awarded him with a laugh and he was a dead man walking.

"Thank you." There was definitely a blush on her whole round, tiny, adorable face now. It was quickly gaining ground on the colour of her eyes for title of favourite.

"You're welcome." He said dopily, smiling back at her. Her blush intensified and she dropped her head to hide it from view. Adrien's smile crumpled like a sand castle when the water rushed around it.

Suddenly, his phone rang, saving him from anymore embarrassment.

"Oh, err, sorry. One second." He pulled out his phone and slid it open, bringing the black device up to his ear. His attention was already back on her, on Marinette, as she looked around the train station with childlike awe.

"Hello?" He asked.

"ADRIEN AGRESTE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU WITH MY NEW BEST FRIEND?!?! WHY AREN'T YOU BACK YET, YOU SON OF A BITCH I SWEAR ON ALL THAT IS HOLY IF YOU CHICKENED OUT AND LEFT HER I WILL-"

Adrien squeaked and yanked the phone away from his ear. Alya's enraged rant could still be heard loud and clear. He looked to Marinette, who's large, round eyes darted from the phone in his hand to him, back to the phone.

"Uhm, you might want to answer her…" she said, meekly pointing at the phone.

"D-do I have to?"

She giggled and holy shit it was better than her other laugh and what he wouldn't do to hear that the rest of his life, could he make that his ringtone?

"You really should." She said, cutting through his runaway thoughts.

With a dreadful sigh, he brought the phone back to his ear. "I didn't do it." He said.

Alya paused. "... What?"

"Whatever you're accusing me of, I didn't do it… I think."

"What does that even-? You know what, no. I ain't playing your stupid games, Adrien Agreste. Where. Are. You?"

"... The train station?"

There was another pause. "Wait, are you really?" Alya's voice was back to a normal volume.

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh. Okay… Well then. Uhm. Yeah."

"Wait- Did you think I just, wasn't going to show up?" He asked indignantly.

"Er, maybe? Anywho, that doesn't matter. Did you find her, did you find my new best friend?" She asked excitedly. Adrien couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Yes, Alya. I'm not that stupid." He replied.

"Oh really? Says the one who accidentally ordered a Chinese bride."

Adrien blushed, his eyes going wide as they darted quickly to Marinette. Yep. She totally heard all of that…

"Uh… I can explain?" But in reality, he couldn't, because she was laughing again, holding her hand over her mouth as she tried to hide it. Adrien pouted, his face burning.

"Yeah, okay, whatever, dipshit. Give the phone over; I don't want to talk to you anymore. I can feel my IQ dropping with every minute I'm paying for this call." Alya demanded.

Adrien held the phone out awkwardly to Marinette. "Uhm… My friend wants to talk to you…?" She raised an eyebrow at him and took the phone from his hand.

"Hello?"

"HI! I'M ALYA, YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND DON'T WORRY ABOUT ADRIEN, HE'S A MORONIC DIPWAD. JUST DON'T TALK TO HIM, AND YOU HOPEFULLY WON'T CONTRACT STUPIDITY." Marinette cringed and pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Is she always like this?" She asked him. He nodded solemnly.

"This is better than it usually is, honestly."

"Ah." she put the phone back to her ear. "Hello Alya, it's nice to meet you." She said.

"I'm even cooler in person, just you wait! Now tell the bambino to get a cab for you two, otherwise you'll probably sit there all day. He's slow in the head."

"I am not!" Adrien guffawed. Marinette giggled again, and he couldn't help but to immediately forgive Alya of all of her wrongs towards him. He picked up Marinette's suitcase and motioned for her to follow him up the stairs and out of the station as he wrestled the umbrella open. When they reached the sidewalk, he turned and held it out for her to take.

She squeaked adorably, a blush adorning her face again, as she reached out slowly to take the umbrella. Their fingers brushed and he quickly yanked his hand back before he could do something stupid like wrap her up in his arms and hiss at anyone who came too close. Their eyes met as she stared up at him with shock and, dear God, please let that be adoration-

And then the umbrella snapped shut on her and she made a small 'Eep!' sound. Adrien's eyes went wide before he was almost doubled over in laughter. When she lifted the umbrella back up enough to see again, she giggled shyly, her face as red as the black spotted coat she was wearing.

Maybe he should make accidents more often.


	8. Chapter 8: Day Thirty-One

Day 31- Soulmates

Marinette stood in front of her mirror, pulling her hair back in two pigtails. When she was finished she stood there and looked at her reflection like she did every morning. She was met with the eyesore of her torso, which was entirely see through straight to her spine. Sighing, she pulled a shirt on and grabbed her school bag, tripping down her stairs.

"Morning, Maman." She said.

"Morning, Dear!" Her mother chirped happily, passing her a bowl.

Marinette reached out for it, her right hand matching her empty torso.

It was supposed to fill in with muscle and tendons and skin when she finally had first contact with her soulmate. More than anything she wanted that to happen, and happen quickly. She was getting sick of looking in the mirror and seeing only bones.

Sure, everyone looked like that at some point in their lives, but usually it wasn't so bad. The hand was normal. Maybe a shoulder or arm. A knee, or possibly a forehead. She felt bad for the people who's cheeks weren't filled in, and all you could see were teeth. It was creepy.

And more than it being creepy, it was irritating. Do you know how poorly clothes fit around a torso made entirely of bones?

"Bye, Maman. See you after school!" Marinette called, running out the door.

"But you didn't eat!"

"I'm not hungry!"

She dashed outside and stopped at the crosswalk with a box of macaroons in hand that she had gotten from her Papa on her way out. Halfway across the road was a small, elderly Chinese man with a cane slowly making his treck over to her side of the road. Looking both ways, she saw a car speeding towards the intersection.

Marinette dashed out into the street and helped him cross, the car barely missing them.

"Thank you!" He said, taking a macaroon from her when she held out the box.

She gave him a smile. "You're welcome!" And with that, she was off again, the sound of the bell ringing in her ears.

She finally made it to class, only for Chloe to be in her spot. Not wanting to cause more mayhem than she already had, she just sat at the front, next to the new girl. She traded half a macaroon for a new friend, Alya.

The rest of her school day had been some more general mayhem and homework- until, of course, one of her classmates turned into a giant rock monster.

Because that's normal.

They were all dismissed for safety reasons, and Marinette had never gotten home more quickly than she did that afternoon.

When she got home, she was met with a mysterious black box adorned with red swirls. Cautiously, she opened it.

Miraculous

Adrien couldn't wait to meet his soulmate.

When he was younger, and his mother had explained the see-through-ness of his torso and hand, he had never been more excited for anything. His mother and he used to imagine what she would be like, what she would look like, and how they would meet. Why was his entire torso all bones? What kind of soulmate mark was that?

He hadn't met her yet, but he knew he would at some point. And it was going to be awesome.

But then his mother died, and his father was cold, and he forgot all about soulmates and happy endings. In fact, the next time he thought about soulmates, was when he took off his shirt to take a shower after that first akuma attack, and discovered his torso was no longer bones. He dropped his shirt in shock, his eyes going wide as he looked down at his chest, poking his stomach experimentally. When his finger didn't go straight through like it used to, he squealed.

Ladybug was his soulmate.

Marinette was having close to the same problem when she was getting ready for bed herself. Except instead of an excited squeal at the descovery, she shrieked.

Her mother came running up the stairs, flinging the trap door open.

"What is it, dear-?" Her eyes widened. "Oh."

Marinette looked at her mother with her matching wide eyes and screamed again.

"Shh! It's okay!" Her mother said. "This is great!" This exclamation was followed by a serious of questions- 'Who was it?' 'How did it happen?' 'Wait, you don't know?!'- and a rather long and embarrassing conversation about the new, ahem, additions to Marinette's physique- 'This is a bra, Marinette. All girls wear them.' 'But it's uncomfortable!' 'Trust me, I know.'

Let's just say, when the already swooned over Marinette Dupain-Cheng showed up at school the next day with a tiny waist and a not so tiny chest, she turned quite a few heads. When she caught a few stares, she blushed and pulled her jacket tighter around her.

Adrien, however, was busy showing off to everyone he came across. His father hadn't cared, Nathalie tried to hide her excitement, and his chouffer Jamison Havart nearly squealed with him. As much as the gorrilla like man could, anyways.

So when he showed up at school (Nathalie and Jamison had been too happy for the boy to even try and keep him home at this point. Plus, he had to find this girl still) and saw Chloe putting gum on a seat, he decided to say something about it.

"Chloe! You can't do that!" He admonished.

She shrugged. "Why not? The two brats who were sitting here yesterday need an attitude adjustment." She said, walking off with Sabrina close behind.

With a huff of irritation at his childhood best friend, he squatted down and started trying to peel up the gum. However, that didn't work, and before he could get it off, and angry voice cut in.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

Adrien turned his head in surprise, looking up at one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. With shiny blue hair, bluebell eyes, and adorable freckles spotting her nose, she almost looked like-

Ladybug.

The sudden thought had him blushing and fumbling with an apology. But before he could get out said apology, she was pushing him out of the way with an angry grumble and already sitting down on the other side of the gum next to her dark haired friend. Wondering if maybe, just maybe, that actually was Ladybug- who was his soulmate!- he walked trancelike back to his seat and slid down onto the bench.

"So… You're friends with Chloe?" The boy sitting next to him drawled carefully.

Adrien's eyes were still stuck on the Maybe-Ladybug/soulmate-blue-eyed-beauty as he slowly forced his tongue to shape words. "Er, uhm, maybe?"

He's always had such a way with words.

The boy, who introduced himself as Nino, clapped him on the shoulders with the words, "I think it's time for you to get some new friends."

The teacher walked in then, thwarting the blondes plans to ask Nino who the bluenette was.

Miraculous

When the akuma victim from the day prior burst through the door and took off with Mylene and Chloe, Adrien excitedly leaped from his seat and took off to transform into Chat Noir. He was going to see Ladybug again!

But no matter how long he fought the akuma, holding off it's attacks as best he could, she didn't show up. Not until he had lost his staff saving one of the girls from his class and been clasped by one of the large stone villians and half the city was destroyed did she show up in all of her red- hot determination with the words,

"Chat Noir, extend it!" He followed her instructions and extended the baton she had tossed back to him. Tucking and rolling into the fall, he was yanked up by his ankle and found himself hanging from Ladybug's yo-yo as she perched on a light post.

"Sorry I was late." She said shyly. After really thinking about it, she had come to the embarrassing conclusion that Chat Noir was her soulmate.

He grinned back up at her. "M'Lady, have I ever told you that you turn my world upside down?"

Her eyes went wide as her cheeks flushed dark red, and in her shock she accidentally dropped him.

"Meowch!" He said, rubbing his head and sitting up.

"S-Sorry! Ugh, I'm so clumsy!"

"That's alright, clumsy-girl, but I think we should really skedadel before we end up ske-squashed!" He said, the end of his sentence ending in more of a shriek as she wrapped her yo-yo around his ankle again and pulled him after her to the nearest rooftop where she let go and they ran off to recoop. He followed her blindy (he would follow her anywhere) to the Eiffel Tower where the original Stoneheart was causing general mayhem. And when she saved Chloe and got a tongue lashing from the cops, he was there to tell her that he believed in her.

And with an ever-present blush, she turned around and humiliated Hawkmoth in front of practically all of Paris.

It wasn't long after that that they had defeated the akuma victim and set everything right. They watched her miraculous ladybugs swarm the sky and fix the city to how it had been that morning. Chat Noir turned to her, to say something, maybe even tell her that no matter who she was, he was madly in love with her already. But then her earrings beeped, and she was already flinging off into the sky and disappearing over the rooftops.

With a dejected sigh, he headed back to the school.

Where he got dissed by the bluenette he still wasn't entirely sure wasn't his Lady. He felt terrible either way about the gum incident, and decided to take Nino's advice in talking to her about it. Seeing his chance when he left the school and found her standing alone on the top step, he stopped next to her.

"I'm really sorry about the gum." He started. "I didn't put it there; I was only trying to take it off." He turned to look at her, ignoring the shock that went down his spine when her bright blue eyes connected with his. "I've never been to public school before, I've never had real friends before- this is all new to me." He stepped out into the rain, looking back at her. Realising the reason she was still standing there was because she didn't want to get soaked, he held out his umbrella with one last apology.

Her eyes were impossibly wide, and her cheeks pinking in a way that had the earlier forementioned question cementing in his head as she slowly reached out to take the proffered umbrella. Her fingers accidentally brushed his as it passed hands. Their gasps rang out on the otherwise silent steps as their hands started to fill in with colour, starting from the points of contact and working it's way up to their wrists and finally sealing with the skin already there.

Marinette looked back up at Adrien, her mouth hanging open in surprise and her cheeks a now permanent red. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to stop blushing.

The silence was shattered as the umbrella closed on her with a snap. Adrien blinked a couple times, a surprised laugh bubbling up followed by a full out guffaw. She lifted up the edge of the umbrella and peeked out at him, a small giggle escaping.

After a few more moments of love-sick starring their moment was broken again by the honking of his limo (Hey, Jamison had a schedule to stick to so he could keep his job).

He smiled softly at Marinette as he turned to walk down the steps. "See you tomorrow, clumsy-girl." He said happily with a wave.

"Y-Yeah! S-S-See-e y-ou t-t-omorr-ow-" She stammered violently. He shot her one last glance over his shoulder when he reached the bottom of the stairs, before dashing for the car.

When he slid in, Jamison looked over his shoulder at him with a raised eyebrow.

Adrien answered him with an infatuated sigh as he slid down in his seat.

If only his mother was here, to tell her everything.


	9. Chapter 9: Day Thirteen

**Day 13~ Finally Alone**

"Oh thank God."

"We're finally alone."

The two adults looked at each other meaningfully. Adrien glanced quickly over at the stairs before looking back to Marinette with raised eyebrows. She giggled and smiled back at him. The married couple were lit up with excited smiles as they raced up the stairs and crashed through the door. They landed on the bed in a tangle of limbs. Now that Emma and Hugo were off with Marinette's parents, they could finally do whatever they wanted, all weekend long…

"Should we set an alarm for tomorrow morning?" Adrien asked.

Marinette snorted. "Hell no. Tomorrow's Saturday. No work, no kids. We're sleeping in until Sunday evening."

Adrien sighed. "Sounds like a lovely plan, M'Lady." Before they could even snuggle under the blankets, both adults were out cold.


	10. Chapter 10: Day Seven

**Day seven- Recovery**

Adrien stood stoic on the sidewalk across from the large white church. His father and he had been going to the church service the Sunday before his mother's death date every year since the actual day it happened.

But now he found himself here, alone bar Nathalie who was only there to make sure he actually went. To uphold face, of course. But since his father was a busy man, he wasn't going. He had "A lot of work to get through before the end of the week."

Adrien didn't want to go in. The service had already started five minutes before, but he didn't care. He hated going to church. He hated Church in general.

In fact, he hated God.

They were always preaching about how 'God was good,' and 'God never lets bad things happen to good people.' So why had his mother died? God wasn't good, he was a tyrant who did whatever he wanted.

"Adrien." Nathalie said. "You need to go in, now." He didn't bother responding to her. He wasn't going. "Adrien."

This went on for the next five minutes or so before Nathalie pulled out her phone. "I'm calling your father."

"Go ahead." He said. "He won't answer."

Nathalie quirked a brow at him when his father's voice came over the line.

"It won't be anything I haven't heard before." He amended.

So he stood there another three minutes or so, listening to his father yell. By the time he finally crossed the street (hoping he would get hit by a car so his suffering could end), he was grounded from everything except piano and fencing and mandarin for the next two months. His father had taken away a lot of stuff before he finally got down to going back to home schooling. That's when Adrien had drawn the line and grudgingly agreed.

The wooden double doors loomed before him.

He didn't want to go.

He didn't want his mom to die.

He didn't want to sit here for the next hour and listen to people talk about a God who didn't listen and didn't care and didn't help who took his mother and ruined his life-

He walked in.

He was met with singing and clapping and happy praises flying around the high ceilinged room. There was a choir on stage, and their voices rang out in a way he hadn't heard since the year before, but even then it had been a different church, a different choir, different voices. There was something about the way their voices sounded that sent chills down his spine as he scanned the pews- just folding chairs set up in rows- for an empty spot he could just scooch into-

His eyes snagged on short blue pigtails. His first thought had been 'Ladybug,' but when he looked back it was Marinette instead. He knew Marinette, perhaps better than Ladybug.

But he didn't know she went to church. He couldn't help but wonder if that was why she was always so happy and optimistic. It seemed to be a common characteristic of believers.

Adrien also couldn't help but be jealous. He wanted to be like that again. Carefree. Happy. Optimistic.

Loved.

He shook his head, putting up the indifferent walls again as he slowly made his way towards where Marinette stood with her parents. Maybe it was better it was Marinette and not Ladybug. Ladybug was too… closed off. Because she wanted to keep her identity secret.

But Marinette was anything but closed off. Even when it came to him, she was still very open and vocal. She was just… Awkward?

He tapped her shoulder and watched in slight amusement as she turned to look at him with a smile which twisted into a shocked expression. It was the first real piece of emotion he had felt in the past two weeks, no, month.

"Can I sit here?" He asked. He cringed inwardly because even he could hear how dull he sounded.

She squeaked before moving her coat to the back of her chair. "Of course." He thanked her quietly before sliding into the row next to her. He caught her few side glances she sent before she started singing again with the rest of the congregation. She sang quietly for a while, her voice steadily growing louder. He couldn't hear her at all at first, but when her voice finally did reach his ears, he was pretty surprised.

She was really good. She had such a light, happy, and airy voice that it translated perfectly into music. It made his fingers twitch slightly, yearning for his piano keys.

Too soon they were clapping and sitting down, and the choir was exiting the stage. He looked around awkwardly before just copying what Marinette was doing. So he sat down next to her, pulled out the book under the chair in front of him, and flipped it open. He was met with four columns of tiny words and immediately reeled, his mind shutting down. But then Marinette was reaching over and thumbing through the pages, her tiny fingers expertly finding the correct page. And then she paused before taking her hand back, slowly, as if surprised at what it had just done. When he looked at her she was looking resolutely forward, a deep pink dusting her cheeks.

"Good morning, everyone!" The preacher said as he walked to the middle of the stage. The whole room looked like an old theater, the ceiling covered in puffy white material that gave one the impression of looking up into a snowy sky.

"Good morning!" Everyone chorused back.

"Somebody asked me this week, 'How do we pray?' Now, I've grown up in a Christian household. I've been praying since before I could speak. So when somebody asked me how to pray, I thought i'd have the perfect answer. Until I went to give them said 'perfect answer' and it turned out, I didn't have one. So I went home and opened up the Bible, and found God's answers."

He frowned. Like it was actually that easy. God only gave answers to people he liked, apparently.

"Sometimes you just talk to God." The preacher continued. "Prayer doesn't have to be extravagant, all 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, oh Lord.' It can be short and sweet. It can be a conversation. Or it can be that maybe you just really need to let off some steam. You can rant to God, because He cares. That's the second one- you can vent to God."

Sure He does.

"Thirdly, you can just listen to God. You don't always have to be yacking at His ear, you don't always need something to tell Him. You can simply listen, and be calm. And lastly, at all times, you should give thanks to God. If you've got nothing else to say, say Thanks. As parents, the best thing we can hear is manners, right? 'Please' and 'Thank you!' just warm our little hearts, am I right?" To this the church whooped and clapped. "So why shouldn't we thank our God for what He has given us?"

At this, Adrien's anger crested. Why should he thank a God who took away his mother? Why did everyone think this 'God' was so great? He wasn't. And no one would convince him otherwise.

"True peace isn't the absence of problems. True peace is found in the presence of God. He tells you to give Him your burdens, to let Him carry your load. So why do we pray? Because we can't handle it all." Adrien couldn't help but to think that the only reason he had so much to carry was because of God. "You are so busy, you're out of it! Nowadays people are 'go, go, go,' and we never stop to take a break and remember what's truly important. We are: Out of shape- physically. Who ever actually goes to the gym? No one. We are out of sorts- emotionally. Somebody says one wrong word to us and we are crying and ready to give up. We are out of touch- relationally. We push people away. As a society we sit inside all day, playing on our tablets or glued to our tv's. No wonder we are out of touch and out of shape! We never want to leave or try to form relationships! And finally, we are out of order- spiritually. God is supposed to be the focus of our lives, no matter what we are going through. Are you happy, and everything is perfect? Praise God! Thank Him for making it so! Are you upset, and missing something? Ask God for His help! He's got a plan for you, and it's more than you could ever imagine." The pastor took a break, looking around at the silent audience. They were hanging off his every word. Except for the angry boy with hair the color of lemons. Adrien sat in silence, arms crossed, stewing.

"Some things need to be shared. We all need to be more open with each other; ask for help when we need it. Some things need to be stopped. We can't waste our lives away sitting here feeling sorry for ourselves- we need to do something about it! Some things need to take priority. Our stress and anger should be pushed away in favor for family and friends, and most of all God. Because he loves you, each and every one of you. In fact, he loves you so much, he sent his only son here to die for your sins, so that- if you only accept him- you can live eternally in the wonderful place he has made for us."

That was new. Of all the times Adrien had been forced to go to a church, all the sermons he's heard, he hadn't heard that one yet. That God loved him, or that it could be that easy. None of it made any sense. How could someone who had taken all that he loved, actually love him? The answer was that He couldn't, not truly. It was all pretty lies. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"Everything needs to be surrendered. We can't possible hope to do everything we are trying to do. Give everything to God, and you will truly feel the difference. Now," he clapped his hands together, "what one thing do you desire from God? You can ask the Lord for anything, He is here for us. He cares about the things we care about. What one thing do you lack?" A mother. "If you give to the poor and help everyone, you will be rewarded by God for it. Give away what you want. If you lack money? Give money to the homeless. If you lack love? Lavish others with what you have. The Lord will take what you've given and multiple it for you. What one thing do you need to let go of? Don't hold onto your pain. Don't harbor your anger, stress, and worries. You'll feel a lot better if you kick it all the curb. What one promise do you need to claim? Let me tell you right now, God tells us in His word that He is for us. Trust in Him. He has angel armies- nobody, not even the Devil, is going to get through that."

Adrien pondered whether or not that logic was sound. How could you give away something if you lacked it? And how would that result in a bigger hold of it? If that was true, shouldn't he have so much love given to him? He was constantly lavishing what he had on Ladybug. Why couldn't someone love him? Why couldn't she love him? But most of all, why couldn't he have a mother to love him? Why did God have to take his mother?

"Let's pray." Everyone around him clasped their hands and bowed their heads, but he refused. He wasn't going to pray to the God who had taken his mother. "Lord, thank you for what you've done for us. Thank you for your unconditional love. I pray that you show the people out there who don't feel it, that you show them how much you truly love them. Lord help us to give our burdens over to You. Help us when we stumble and fall. Pick us back up and show us Your path. I believe there are people out there, people in here, even, who are hurting. I pray that you take away their pain and give them peace. Show them that everything is okay in You. We know you don't do anything without a purpose. Everything You do, You do to help us grow. Sometimes we may not understand it, or want it, but thank you for knowing what is best for us. In Jesus Christ's name, Amen."

He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream and cry and throw a fit. He didn't care if it was what was good for him, he wanted his mother back.

Everyone around him was standing up and conversing, or donning coats and leaving, but he didn't stand up. He didn't get it. "What purpose was there in her dying?" He muttered angrily as his chin wobbled.

He jumped as a small hand landed on his shoulder. Adrien looked up to see Marinette looking down at him, her eyes sad. She turned and whispered something to her parents, who nodded and left. Marinette sat back down next to him.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. It's awful- really. No one should have to lose a parent. I can't tell you why it happened, but trust me, there was a purpose. Obviously not a very happy one, but nothing happens for no reason. You can live your whole life angry with God if you want, but it's not going to get you anywhere. It's only going to make you sad and lonely. Hating Him isn't the way to go. And it's not only hurting you, but it hurts God, too. Because he really does love you! He created you on purpose and for a purpose. It hurts Him when we hate him and ignore his help."

He was crying now, for real. He didn't know if it was what she was saying, or how she was saying it, but he couldn't hold back the tears anymore. "How do you know?"

She shrugged, smiling sadly. "I don't, really. But I figure it's better to just believe the happy thoughts that no matter what, I've got a Father in Heaven who loves me and is guiding me through life. That even if this life sucks, I'm promised a spot in a world he created that's perfect and eternal. It's better to believe that, and feel good, than to stew in hate forever until you die. And, if it really is all true, if you don't accept God there's a worse eternity waiting for you. So really, there's nothing to lose in believing what we're saying. I believe it because it just… makes sense to me. And it makes me happy. Do you think I could be as nice and giddy as I usually am without God? Not at all. In fact, before my parents and I started coming here, I was the worst little hellion you would ever meet. I was the kid who used to push the other kids off the swings or steal their toys. But now I'm happy and I feel like my life has meaning."

He sat there and looked at her, as best he could through his tears. She was so strong. He let out a pitiful laugh. "Do you think you could give me some of your optimistic strength?"

She smiled brightly at him. "I don't think I can, but God can- if you ask him. He cares about you, Adrien. And He doesn't want to see you so upset all the time. He's got so much strength and optimism for you, He would gladly give you some!" She paused for a moment before pulling him into a tight hug. He sniffed and buried his face in her shoulder. She rubbed his back as he shook with tears. "There are so many people who care about you, Adrien. Alya, Nino and I care about you so much, and so does everyone else at school. Even Mme Mendeleiev, you just can't tell." She laughed, and he could feel it through his cheek pressed against her torso. She had such a happy, pretty laugh. "And I can tell that Nathalie loves you, even a little bit. She wouldn't be so attentive if she didn't. And your father-"

It was Adrien's turn to laugh, but it wasn't happy in the nearest. "My father doesn't love me."

Her hand paused on his back before it continued rubbing soothing circles. "Well… Even if that is true, you've got a Father in Heaven who loves you. He loves you more than anyone else ever could dream of loving you."

They sat there in silence for a while, breathing and just being. His tears dried up after not too long, and he sat up. "Thanks, Marinette."

She blushed and pulled back, tugging on a pigtail. "Y-You're welcome…" Ah, there was the familiar stutter that he knew so well. Adrien was happy that she had been able to say so much to him without stuttering, but, to be honest- He kind of liked her stutter. It was… cute.

They stood up and put on their coats, walking out of the church together. Her parents were waiting on the sidewalk for her, laughing happily about something. Marinette stopped on the top step, turning to him.

"Do you want to have lunch with us?"

He paused, looking to where his limo was, Nathalie in the back seat. She looked him and Marinette up and down before exiting the car.

"I'm not sure I can…" He trailed off as Nathalie stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Who is this?" Nathalie asked.

"This is Marinette, she goes to my school."

"My parents own the Dupain-Cheng bakery." Marinette said.

"She's the one who won Father's competition with the derby hats." Adrien threw in.

Nathalie nodded. "Well, your schedule is open for the rest of the day. Why don't you take that time to get out of the house?"

Adrien looked at Marinette and then back at Nathalie.

"...Really?"

"Yes. I already approved it with your father. But do try to stay out of trouble." With that, she turned and walked back towards the car.

Adrien and Marinette watched in shock as Nathalie got back in the black car, and drove off.

"She didn't even wait for my answer." Adrien said in disbelief.

"Well, I guess you'll have to come have lunch with us." Marinette said. He turned back to look at her, surprised even more at the redness of her whole face and ears. She led the way down the stairs and over to her parents.

Her mother wrapped her arms around him in a big hug, saying, "Marinette's always talking about you, Dear. It's good to see you again. I'm glad you could make todays service!"

"Maman!" Marinette groaned. Adrien laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. She talked about him?

"It's good to see you, too." He said politely. When Madame Cheng let go, Monsieur Dupain put one of his arms around Adrien's shoulder to lean in conspiratorially.

"We've heard you're great at Ultimate Mecha Strike. What do you say to a tournament of our own? You and Marinette against me, the all time champ!"

Marinette laughed. "Papa, we all know I'm much better than you." She teased.

"Not true!" Her father exclaimed in mock horror. "Sabine, tell me it's not true!"

Madame Cheng nodded her head sadly.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Adrien found himself feeling a lot better than he had been before he stepped into that church. Maybe Marinette was right. And even if she wasn't completely right, there wasn't anything for him to lose in believing what she believed. He didn't think Marinette knew just how much she had helped him. Nothing anyone had ever told him before had affected him so deeply. He would forever be grateful for that girl, and the sadness she helped to lift.

Maybe God wasn't so bad after all.


	11. Author’s Note

**I've gotten quuuuite a few favorites and follows for these one-shots, yes, they are one-shots. But! If there are any that you guys reaaaaally like, I am _not_ against doing longer fan fictions for them. So comment/ review on your favorite chapters and give me some insight on what you guys want to see more of! **

**Happy reading, and God bless!**

 **\- Izzy**


	12. Chapter 11: Day Six

6\. Cooking/baking:

I opened the door and walked into the apartment, dropping my keys in the little ladybug dish that Adrien had bought as soon as he saw it. Sighing, I hung up my coat and walked into the kitchen.

"Buginette!" Adrien said excitedly, twirling around and bounding over, picking me up and kissing me soundly. I giggled and twirled my fingers in his hair, causing a small purr to stutter out before fading again.

"Hi, Kitty." She said happily when he set her back down. "I missed you."

"I missed you more!" He said, rubbing his cheek against her jaw.

"Awe." I cooed, running my hand through his hair. He grinned secretively at me, taking my hand and leading me to the dining table.

I laughed, spinning around at his lead. "What's got you in such a good mood?" Hopefully it only gets better when I tell him the news…

"I made something for you. You've been so tired lately, with all your work," that's what you think, Chaton. "So I wanted to do something to help you relax!" With that, he stepped out of the way and allowed me to see what he had done.

I gasped, my hands flying up over my mouth. "Awe, Adrien." I crooned, looking at the table. There were two candles on it, giving the room a lovely smell along with the smell of the rice, wine, and sushi. The whole table was set with beautiful dishes and folded napkins over the lace table cloth we had used at our wedding. "This is so beautiful, but…"

His face fell, and I hurried to reassure him. I grabbed his hands and smiled at him. "Don't worry, I love it, and I really appreciate the gesture, but I can't eat it. Well, I'm sure rice is fine, but the other stuff…" I trailed off, giving him a shrug.

His face scrunched adorably in confusion. "What do you mean? Why can't you have the other stuff?" He asked.

"Also, it's not all the work I've been doing that's made me tired, it's something else." I continued.

"Oh? What is it? Can I help you with it?"

I pretended to think about it. "I don't know… It might be something I have to carry mostly on my own." I smirked inwardly.

"But-" He stopped with an irritated noise. "What's wrong, Bugaboo?"

"Well, I'm tired because I'm pregnant, and I read that alcohol and fish aren't good for babies, so I can't have them."

He blinked once, twice, before straightening up and looking at me blankly. Not the response I was hoping for. I tried to push away the dread, figuring he was just taking time to process it.

"Not good for babies?" He repeated.

I nodded. "Mhmm."

"Because you're pregnant?"

"Yes, Love."

A beat. "You're… Pregnant."

A roll of the eyes and another affirmative hum.

It took another couple seconds to settle, and then he gasped, his eyes blowing wide as the biggest smile I had ever seen stretched across his face.

"YOU'RE PREGNANT!" He yelled, picking me up again before hurriedly setting me down as softly as he could. "Oh, oh, oh. Oh no. Uhm… Sit down! Here, come on." He said, ushering me to the sofa where he helped me sit down before wrapping me up in a blanket. I let him fus, knowing it wouldn't help anything if I told him to stop, but I didn't bother to smother the laughter.

"Adrien, I'm not going to break."

"You don't know that!" He huffed, running to the kitchen and returning with a water bottle. "Here, drink this instead. What else can't you eat? Can you eat salads? Those are healthy. Or what about sweet potatoes? Those are really good for you, and I read somewhere that they help with joint pain, and babies are heavy. And-"

"Adrien!" I said, grabbing his wrist as he made to run off again. "I'm fine, alright? I'm going to be fine. Now come here, and relax, minou." He stood there a moment, looking conflicted, before he carefully curled up next to me, his head in my lap and his hands on my stomach. My own hands found their way into his hair once more, combing it out while he cooed to his future son or daughter about how much he loved them already.

He ended up making me eat a salad with boiled sweet potatoes that night for dinner, but I had never seen him look happier.


	13. Chapter 12: Day Twenty-Nine

29\. That looks like it hurts:

I ran down the sidewalk, my twin tails flying in the wind behind me. Tikki had told me to transform and go off to find Sailor Mercury who was in trouble. My little black shoes clicked against the concrete as I ran, the only noise in the empty night.

I couldn't fail; I was Sailor Moon! If I couldn't protect my own friend, what kind of Sailor Guardian was I?

But of course, I wasn't paying attention, being too worried about whether or not I was up to this. I didn't see the crack in the block of sidewalk, which I stubbed my toe on and tripped over.

"AHH!" I shrieked as I came crashing down towards the ground, already prepared to cry over my stupid clumsiness that even as a hero I couldn't run away from.

But a pair of strong arms grabbed me, stopping me halfway to the ground.

"Hu?" I opened my eyes and looked up at who had saved me, only to come face to face with Tuxedo Mask. I felt my cheeks bloom bright red as I stared into his beautiful green eyes. His teeth were blinding as he smiled in the light from the full moon.

"You should be more careful, Sailor Moon." He said with his wonderful voice. "I might not always be here to catch you."

I sighed, looking up at him with lidded eyes and a drunk smile. "W-W-Why no-ot?" I stuttered, nerves shaking up my words into chunks.

He laughed, causing my knees to give out again, but he held me tight. "Because you fall a lot."

That made me blush harder, looking down at his tuxedo instead of his pretty face.

"Not true…" I mumbled, totally embarrassed. I was always messing up when Tuxedo Mask was around. It wasn't my fault, I swear! He was just… Distractingly perfect.

He tapped my nose, drawing my attention once more as he set me back up on my feet.

"You have a friend to save, Sailor Moon."


	14. Chapter 13: Day Twenty

Day 20~ Wish.

Adrien sighed, pressing his hand against the ice cold glass window as he stared out at the night sky. He had just finished getting ready for bed after the late night patrol with Ladybug, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. His mind was too busy with thoughts of his Lady, of the way the wind had played with her dark hair, teasing it. Teasing him. If only she felt the same way.

"Kid, really. You need to relax." Plagg said, burping before popping another slice of camembert in his mouth. "Moping isn't going to win her love."

Adrien sighed, turning away from the window to look at his Kwami. He left his hand on the glass, enjoying the cold of it. It reminded him of his patrols with Ladybug outside in the cold wind. "I know. But I can't help it."

Plagg shrugged, reaching lazily for more cheese. "Well it's affecting my appetite."

Frowning, Adrien huffed, "Doesn't seem like it."

"Hey now." Plagg frowned.

Adrien sighed, turning back to the window. He almost missed it, if he had only been a couple seconds later…

"Oh, oh, oh! Shooting star!" He shouted, bringing both hands to the glass and pressing his face to it to see better. "Hurry, make a wish!" He said to himself, and Plagg rolled his eyes hard.

I wish Ladybug would tell me she loves me.

Marinette woke up the next morning after her late night patrol, way too tired for this. But as Tikki pointed out, she was already late for school. So she threw on whatever was clean, grabbed her bag, kissed her maman goodbye, and was gone. The bell rang as soon as she skidded through the door. She shot a guilty smile to Mme Bustier before scooting into her seat next to Alya.

"Hey, girl." Her friend whispered, leaning over.

Marinette waved back in response, scurrying to write down the notes on the board. Mme Bustier started talking, and she tried to listen, but as per usual her attention would shift to the back of Adrien's head every so often. She wondered if his hair was really as soft as it felt. Alya, thank God for that woman, snatched her hand when it was only millimeters away from finding out, snapping Marinette out of her thoughts with a squeak. It garnered her attention from the class and teacher, and she apologized with a ripe tomato blush, sinking down into her seat.

"Girl, what's up with you today?" Alya asked, sitting closer so she could whisper. "You've been even more lovelorn than usual."

Marinette shrugged, still sporting the dangerous looking blush. She honestly had no clue what was going on, but she had a bad feeling about it.

At lunch, Marinette and Alya went to the bakery to grab food from the bluenette's mom and made their way back to the lunch yard. When they got to their usual table, they found Adrien and Nino chatting away. Marinette swallowed nervously, already knowing she was going to make a fool of herself.

But they sat down anyways, Marinette on the opposite side of the table as her green eyed crush. She listened to their conversation, throwing in small comments every now and then, but she mostly kept quiet. Adrien noticed, and turned to look at her.

"Hey Marinette, are you okay? You've been really quiet…" He said, trailing off. She looked up with wide eyes, and opened her mouth to stutter out a response. But whatever she had planned to say got pushed away, and before she knew it, her mouth had taken over.

"I love you."

The group fell silent as Marinette blushed bright red and squeaked. She nearly fell backwards off the bench as she turned and took off back inside the school.

Once she had disappeared, the three remaining friends turned to look at her unopened lunch bag.

"Well, I can't say I'm not proud she finally said it, but she could have stuck around longer." Alya sighed, snapping them out of their stupor.

"Eh, I'm proud of her either way. I didn't think she'd ever say it. And at least she didn't pass out or something after." Nino said, pulling his hat off to smooth back his hair and then putting it back on.

"What?" Adrien asked. He was so confused. And he would tell you he had a right to be- his usually quiet and stuttering friend had just told him she loved him before stumbling away like a bat out of hell.

Alya sighed, rolling her eyes. "Look, Adrien." She said, leaning forward. "Marinette's had a massive crush on you since the second day of school, and we've been trying to get her to tell you all year, but every time she tried she either choked on her words or someone- mostly Chloe- came in and ruined it. I don't know what was different about today, or why she decided to finally told you, but she did." And then she lunged forward, gripping his shirt. "And I swear on my grandmama's grave, Adrien Agreste, if you make my girl cry…" She trailed off, her eyes telling him of all the horrors she would put him through.

And then she smiled and leaned back, going back to her food. Adrien gulped as he fixed the wrinkles from his shirt.

Marinette had a crush on him? This whole time? He thought about it, and was surprised to find the happy, bubbly feeling in his stomach at the knowledge of his small, cute classmate liking him. But then it turned into a gurgly, tar feeling as Ladybug popped into his head. He loved his Lady, he couldn't just… stop. And just last night he had wished on that star that she would tell him she loved hi-

Adrien jerked, gasping loudly. Alya and Nino shared a confused look before looking at him.

"You okay, bro?"

He didn't answer, instead he took off after Marinette.

Alya sighed. "They're both hopeless." She said.

"Yup."

They finished the rest of their lunch silently, shooting glances at their friends' forgotten bags.

LBCNLBCNLBCN

Adrien couldn't find Marinette anywhere, and he figured she must have hid in the girls bathroom. Wanting to talk to Plagg, he took a page from her book and dashed into the boys bathroom, locking himself in a stall.

He opened his shirt and Plagg flew out, giving him one of his looks. "What are you getting mixed up in, kid?"

"Is Marinette Ladybug?" He whispered excitedly. "Because I made that wish last night that she would tell me she loves me, and then Marinette goes and tells me she loves me when she's never been able to actually talk to me before! It can't be a coincidence!"

Plagg sighed. "Well, this is definitely a new one to add to the book. Tikki won't be happy."

"Oh my Gosh, so she is Ladybug!" When Plagg didn't answer, Adrien let out an embarrassing squeal. "That was the best wish I have ever made!" Now that his suspicions had been confirmed, he shot out of the bathroom and back towards the classroom. She would have to come back at some point, and when she did, he would be waiting.

Except she didn't come back.

He started out halfway through lunch bouncing excitedly in his seat, waiting for her to walk in. When she didn't walk in after the bell rang for their next class he deflated and went to work, but cast glances at the door more than at his physics problems. He grinned to himself at the idea of being able to spend time with Marinette to teach her what she missed from class.

But when two classes had passed by and they were into their third of the afternoon, he got worried. What if she had tripped and hurt herself? It was very plausible, with how clumsy she was. Or maybe she didn't want to tell him that and she was upset, or worried he would hate her, or- Oh goodness, what if she was akumatized?

Doing nothing to quell his fear, the akuma alert went off.

"No!" Adrien yelled, jumping up. He blushed when everyone turned to look at him.

"Now, now, Adrien. I know physics is great, but it's nothing to scream about." The teacher said as she and the rest of the kids started ushering out of the door. He waited until they were all gone before hurriedly letting Plagg out and calling upon his transformation.

No one saw Chat Noir burst into the hallway, thankfully, and he turned tail and took off towards the sounds of screams.

When he showed up on scene, his Lady was already there.

"M'Lady!" He yelled in relief, wrapping his arms around her.

"Chat Noir, now is not the time. There's an akuma." She chastised.

"I'm so glad you weren't the akuma." He said, rubbing his cheek against her jaw.

"Uh… Okay, Kitty." She said, awkwardly patting his back and then peeling him off. "Are you… High?" She asked.

"What? No! Marinette, how could you think something so awful?"

… Oops.

"W-what?" She squeaked. "Who told!" She shrieked.

"A shooting star." He said with a secretive smile.

"... You _are_ high."

"No! I'm not! I made a wish that you would tell me you love me, and then you did and-"

"What are you talking about?!" She yelled in frustration, throwing her arms up. "You're being ridiculous! We have an akuma to fight, Chat, and you gunna get-" She cut off with a shriek, diving to the side just as a ball of fire hit the ground next to where she had been.

The akuma let out a cackle. "You think global warming isn't real? I'LL SHOW YOU GLOBAL WARMING, MOTHE-"

"Woah, woah, keep it pg!" Ladybug yelled, jumping back into the game, yo-yo swinging at her side. "Or we're going to have to put a damper on you."

Chat smiled at his Lady, pulling out his baton. "Is it you, or is it getting hot out here?" He asked her. Ladybug groaned, throwing her yo-yo at the akuma who knocked it away.

"Are you going to help, or are you going to sit here and make jokes?" She asked. He smiled at her, feeling for the first time that he was the one with the Ladybug Luck.

"I'm always here to help, Buginette."


	15. Chpater 14: Day Twenty-Seven

Day 27: Post akuma comfort.

She had only just barely detransformed and given Tikki a cookie when there was a thump on her balcony, and a quick, insistent knock on her skylight. Bridgette quickly scaled the ladder and was up on her roof with the window shut in the time it took Tikki to hide.

"Chat Noir?" She asked, worried he might have somehow found out her secret. That would explain the stricken and destroyed look on his face. Oh no, he had found out she was Ladybug and he was disappointed, he was going to tell her he didn't want to work with her anymore and that he never loved her, because, how could anybody love her?

"Bridgette-" He said, his voice cracking slightly. His arms were raising and falling at his sides, like a bird deciding if he wanted to take off or not.

"Are you… Are you alright?" She asked him. He let out a strangled noise before he seemed to come unstuck and launched towards her, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders.

"Chat?" She said, her voice muffled by his suit. She brought her hands up to hold unto his wide shoulders. She could feel him shaking under her fingers.

"You- I… And the akuma-"

Oh. Oh. Was that what this was about? The akuma attack?

It hadn't been anything special, really. Some construction worker had gotten fired from his contract and turned into a giant concrete monster with huge hammers for hands, smashing at anything in his way. And before she could get somewhere to transform, bridgette was in his way. But it wasn't really that big of a deal, so she told him as such.

"You were there, Chat Noir. Everything was okay."

"But it almost wasn't." He sniffled.

She gave a short laugh. "But you're the great protector of Paris, and you're always there."

"Except for when I'm not. And today… today I almost wasn't."

"It's alright. It's a hard job, I'm sure, protecting the city. There's a lot of people here." She said softly. "I'm just one in thousands, it's not your fault. And you're- you're one in thousands. You can't expect to be everywhere you're needed when you're needed. There's not enough of you for that. And you come first."

He dug his face in more to the crook of her neck, and she was surprised at the tears against her skin. "Chat, hey, come on now! Don't cry. It's not that big a deal-"

"Don't say that, stop saying that! It's is a big deal because I- Because… I care, Bridgette." He swore. "I care! I care about you! And I don't want you to get hurt!"

She stepped back to look at him in shock. Had he really just…? And she had expected him to tell her he hated her and didn't want her to be his partner anymore…

"Oh, Kitty. It's okay, I'm alright, and the what if's don't matter. They're just what if's, Chat." She wrapped her arms back around him and brought his head down to rest on her chest. His hair was soft as she ran her fingers through it, rubbing soothing circles into his back as he let go and sobbed into her shirt.

"Shhh, Minou. I'm alright. You've got me, you've got me."


	16. Chapter 15: Day Twenty-Five

Day 25: Bed sharing

Felix opened his eyes grudgingly against the sunlight streaming through the crack in the curtains. Why those darn curtains wouldn't ever stay closed, black out his as-

Bridgette sighed and curled in tighter to the crook of his neck, her tiny hands tightening in his t-shirt. His heart skipped for just a second, even after so long of this, he would never get used to it.

Never get used to her always being there, tucked up close to him. Never get used to her smiling so happily at him, at him, for no reason at all. Never get used to her coming home from work and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pressing a kiss to his temple. Never get used to her laugh, her sass, her face, her personality, her love.

And he hadn't wanted it at first.

He'd pushed her away so much and even hated her, all because she was everything he wanted, but not from the one person he thought he needed it from.

But that didn't matter anymore, because she was the one he wanted it from, and she wanted to give it.

"Felix…?" She mumbled, brushing hair away from her face.

"Shh, Bri. Go back to bed." He hushed, pushing her sweaty hair back from her forehead and placing a kiss above her brow.

"Mm-kay." She fussed for a second with the blankets tangled around her legs, before re-tangling them with his. Her arm was like a vice around his middle, and he prayed it wouldn't ever go slack.

He loved Bridgette, and she had no idea how much he valued her. He wouldn't ever be able to forget how he had treated her in school, but he was making up for it. Every morning he woke up with her sprawled across him or stuck to his side like glue, and he promised her again.

He would make sure she knew he loved her more than anything else for the rest of his life.


	17. Chapter 16: Day Twenty-Four

Day 24. Early hours:

"Mari. Mari, wake up." Adrien said, shaking her shoulder gently. It was seven something, and the baby had been awake for two hours already. She groaned in her sleep and tried to roll farther away from him, the blankets wrapped around her like a cocoon.

"I made coffee." He tried, in hopes she might wake up. She merely waved a sleepy hand at him over her shoulder.

"Mari, please. I need help." Still, nothing. "Hugo's awake, and I can't get his diaper back on." Silence. "Marineeeeeette."

Even when a shrill baby cry pierced the air, she merely stirred and went back to bed.

So, not knowing what else to do, Adrien shrugged, walked into the nursery, picked up Hugo with the half on, half off diaper, and set him down between them on the bed. He laid there with sleeping Marinette and half naked Hugo, cooing at his baby and tickling his little bean toes until his beautiful wife finally woke up.

"Wha' time isit?" She slurred, rubbing a hand across her face.

"It's ten thirty-four."

She groaned and flopped back. Hugo gurgled at her and she peeked out at him from under her arm.

"Ohh, hi baby." She said, a sleepy smile crossing her face. "Good morning, guys." She paused. "What's wrong with his diaper?"

"I couldn't get it to go back on, and he kept tearing it off. I tried to get help but you wouldn't wake up."

"Oh, Adrien, I'm sorry- I couldn't fall asleep last night, I was up until three, and I had to take some of those stupid sleep pills or whatever, and I guess they really knocked me out. And I-"

"Shh, Mari, it's alright. He's fine, see? We were just chilling here with Mommy, isn't the right, Hugo?" Adrien said, poking Hugo's tummy, causing the baby to giggle.

"Awe." Mari sighed, smoothing down her child's unruly dark hair. "Come on, let's get that diaper put on you before you pee in the bed."


	18. Chapter 18: Day Twenty-Three

Day 23. Sunshine:

A purr rumbled softly through the summer air as Adrien happily traced the freckles across Marinette's shoulders. The sun shone through the leaves above them, leaving splotches of sunlight across her pale skin. She had fallen asleep not too far into Adrien's ministrations, content after their picnic to take a short nap in the sun. Sure, that was usually a cat's business, but a ladybug loved her warmth, too.

He still couldn't get his mind wrapped around it; this was _his_ _Lady_. His.

And the craziest part is she loved him, too. They had chased each other around in circles for so damn long, and now they were finally here. Together. Happily ever after in the sunshine of a lover's summer afternoon.


End file.
